Baseball players need to be able to throw, catch, run and hit the ball. Football players need to block, run, throw, catch, and tackle. Basketball players need to be able to pass, dribble, shoot … and it helps if they’re really, really tall.

And then, there’s horseshoe pitching.

Every Wednesday evening during the summer, the 3 For 3 Horseshoe League takes place at the Riverside Park horseshoe pits. Anyone there will tell you that anyone can pitch horseshoes – lefties, righties, men, women, and children of all ages.

The only requirement is the ability to throw … underhand.

“You don’t have to be super-good,” Artie Groux, the president of the Montana Chapter of the National Horseshoe Pitching Association, said at Wednesday’s league. “It’s almost like (shooting) pool. You have handicaps. You can have guys who throw 10 ringers or you can have guys that throw two ringers.

“It’s a family game. We have youngsters out here throwing. We’ll even have youngsters throwing at the state tournament (in Havre this August).”

Groux says everything starts at the local league level. In Great Falls, the 3 For3 Horseshoe League has been around for eons.

“There’s 10 teams, so 70 individuals that throw,” Groux noted. “You throw four games. An individual can throw all four games, or you can have a couple of guys throw two games each, depending on how many people show up.

“Then they start getting hooked on the game, and then they start going to tournaments. This year we have tournaments in Havre, Anaconda, Butte, Great Falls, Billings and Laurel.”

State, as noted before, is in Havre this August, while the World Horseshoe Tournament is July 17-29 in St. George, Utah.

People from all walks of life participate. Retired attorney and parttime city judge Lee Leveque is a regular pitcher, as well as former World Champion Butch White, who was featured in this publication two years ago.

“You have grocers. You have (sanitation workers). You have judges.” Groux said. “And I run a trucking company.

“Anyone can throw horseshoes. There’s so much in common when you’re pitching shoes, and it doesn’t matter who you are. Everybody comes together. To me, that’s the best thing about (horseshoes).”

Both Leveque and White, who are over the age of 70, pitch from 27 feet, as do youngsters under the age of 18 and women. The men’s open pitching distance, according to the NHPA rules, is 37 feet.

“Many of these guys bowl,” Groux said. Groux noted Leveque, who rolled a perfect game about six years ago, and Bob Rioux as being active ten-pin bowlers locally.

So what do you need to get into horseshoe pitching? Well, let’s start with the basics: a set of horseshoes (minimum of two) will run you about $40. NHPA dues are about $25 per year. And that’s it.

You can view the rules, bylaws and scoring for the NHPA at www.horseshoepitching.com.